Remembering Challenger & Columbia.

[hemi68charger]

Remembering Challenger and her crew (STS-51-L)...

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida, United States, at 11:39 a.m. EST (16:39 UTC).




I was 22 years old, standing on the roof of my house and saw everything. Having been a space geek (growing up in South Florida watching launches), I knew exactly what it was. I was dumb-founded, shock and in disbelief. I ran down stairs as soon as all the plums faded away to check out the news. It was verified and tears came to my eyes. I still get chocked up thinking about it..

Where were you?


Remember also Apollo I (Chaffee, White and Grissom)



and Columbia STS-107. 01-Feb-2003

[elacruze]

I was having a burger and beer for lunch in a noisy bar when it happened. The silence at that moment was punishing. 9/11 didn't even have the same impact at the moment, since I wasn't in a big crowd and it developed over hours. The immediacy of Challenger caught everyone off guard.

RIP.

[400/6/PAC]

RIP.

[SRT-440]

I was sitting in 6th grade english class. 

[moparstuart]

I was sitting in 6th grade english class. 

I was a senior in speech class and we went to the library to watch it all on TV   very sad day

[ITSA426]

It's hard to believe it has been that long.  We were starting to take space travel pretty casually.  I remember when White Chaffee and Grissom died but that was not in flight and seemed so far away from Challenger.  

I was working at the time in a hangar for a major, now nonexistent, airline.  Things just came to a stop as people huddled around radios in the shops.  

There was a lot of speculation before the investigation even started, and NASA rethought its ideas about putting teachers and other non-career astronauts into space.  Lots of finger pointing and blame dodging.

[Richard Cranium]

I was working at a jobsite in Cambridge, MA & heard about it on the radio. Where has 25 years gone?

[tan top]

was 15 , & in school , heard a bout it !!  watch it on the news when i got home !! could not believe what i was seeing !! , as if i remember correctly  the shuttle missions were  regular at the time  &  seemed to go from  wow that's amazing  to  oh right nother  launch  !!  then this happens !!  sad   

[Neal_J]

Driving to school,  I was a senior at Cal.   

That day I learned how hard it is to drive when you're crying...

Godspeed Challenger crew.

[chargerboy69]

I was in sixth grade.  I happened to be in a teacher supply/staff room and the TV was on.  I watched it live.  I ran back to my classroom and informed my teacher what had happened.  I went back down and brought a TV back to the classroom, and we watched the coverage for the rest of the day.

[471_Magnum]

Sophomore in high school. English class. Was announced over the PA. Didn't see it on TV until much later, so it didn't sink in right away.

It was my 16th birthday. I was more concerned with getting my learner's permit that day. Typical self-absorbed teen.

I get a lot of birthday wishes every year after friends hear the anniversary mentioned on the evening news: "Oh yeah, it's Jim's birthday".

It was a big deal on the first launches of the shuttle, but by 1986, everyone had started taking it for granted. It almost seemed like they were coming up with a gimmick on every launch (like sending up a teacher) to drum up publicity. Suddenly nobody took it for granted anymore.

[FJ6N96]

I was stationed on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and standing watch at the time and we were all watching the launch. WOW!  Doesn't seem like 25 years ago.

FJ6N96

[Charger_Fan]

It sure doesn't seem that long ago, wow.
I was at work, the radio station we were listening to broke in from the music program with the news. One of my fellow employees ran home & grabbed his TV, so we could watch what happened.
A Sad day, indeed.

[twodko]

RIP

[Richard Cranium]

I was 22 years old,

I was sitting in 6th grade english class. 

I was a senior in speech class

was 15 

I was a senior at Cal.   

I was in sixth grade.

Sophomore in high school.

Holy crap, I feel like an old man compared to you guys. 

[hemi68charger]

I was 22 years old,

I was sitting in 6th grade english class. 

I was a senior in speech class

was 15 

I was a senior at Cal.   

I was in sixth grade.

Sophomore in high school.

Holy crap, I feel like an old man compared to you guys. 

So,, were you 22 when Sputnik was lanuched in '57..... 

[Mike DC]

I can believe it was 25 years ago.  It does seem like a while to me. 

Maybe this is just my pessimism showing through.  But I find it surprising (and impressive) that we've taxied so many humans in and out of space since then with so few other accidents. 

[694spdRT]

7th grade History class about 50 miles north of where it happened.(I lived in St. Augustine and had watched some launch plumes before that when at home)

[Richard Cranium]

So,, were you 22 when Sputnik was lanuched in '57..... 

In '57, I was still daddy's little squirt.  I'm not talking beyond that.

[John_Kunkel]

I was in the lunchroom at work having a cup of coffee at first break when I heard the news. I remember thinking to myself "well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...hope this doesn't cancel the space program".

[BIGBLCK11]

I was a junior sitting in drafting class.  The teacher had a radio on.  Definitely a sad day.

[Charger_Fan]

I remember thinking to myself "well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...hope this doesn't cancel the space program".

I recall thinking something similar.
I also recall hearing our President that evening...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JKIZ7j20EA&feature=player_embedded 

So much of that excellent & heartfelt speech has been chopped up & shortened through the years. As a result, and as always, that only devalues the true heart of the feelings delivered that day. I don't think another President since then would have (or could have) conveyed those same universal American emotions. He was the last truly PRESIDENTIAL President I can remember...well, I'll stop there. 
R.I.P., crew of Columbia.

[bull]

I was in my first year of college working in the athletic dept. for tuition money. A small TV was on inside the physical therapy room and 5-6 of us were watching the launch. When it exploded I remember looking around at the other faces in the room and seeing the initial confusion about what had just happened. Of course it didn't take long to figure out that it had exploded but for a few seconds I was half expecting to see the shuttle emerge from the smoke and continue on. Or maybe it was hope. But when the solid rocket boosters kept going by themselves and all the burning fragments came raining down I knew the astronauts had just been vaporized in the blink of an eye.

These people were confused too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41jq_5ltkno (but at least there's a Mopar in the video).

[terrible one]

I was about -4 years old. 

[John_Kunkel]

He was the last truly PRESIDENTIAL President I can remember...well, I'll stop there.